Venice Theatre plans December reopening with 'A Christmas Carol' following Ian damage

VENICE, Fla. - The show must go on, and officials at the Venice Theatre committed to that immediately after Hurricane Ian tore through the southwest region of Florida.

The major storm ripped apart the historic venue, taking out seats and damaging its electrical systems. Despite that, officials say performances will resume soon. On Dec. 2, the theater will open a scaled-down version of its annual ‘A Christmas Carol.' Auditions were held over the weekend.

The Venice Theatre will open a temporary stage for productions as work to reopen continues. The Venice Theatre's education center has been transformed into a temporary venue that will hold just over 120 guests. 

That will bring ticket sales down to less than one third of hat their former theater could hold.

The Venice Theater said in about three months, they expect their Pinkerton Theater to reopen, which is in the same building that houses their main stage. 

The venue's executive director, Murray Chase, said he was hunkered down at home during the storm when one of the board members texted him a photo of the venue.

While the theater was insured, Chase said it could cost several more million dollars to get them back to where they once were. 

The organization hopes to have their main stage reopen by next year. 

"Stay with us. We will be back, and we will back strong," he told FOX 13, promising Hurricane Ian would not be the final act.

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For more information on the Venice Theater's plan to rebuild, visit venicetheatre.org/donate.